Three Soldiers Charged in Iraqi Man's Drowning Death

WASHINGTON, July 2 Three American soldiers face manslaughter charges in the
drowning of an Iraqi detainee who was forced to jump off a bridge north of
Baghdad in January, the Army announced today.

A fourth soldier was
charged with assault, after officials said he ordered a second Iraqi detainee to
jump off the bridge over the Tigris River in Samarra. That man survived.

All four soldiers were also charged with trying to cover up the
incident.

The new charges filed against the four Fourth Infantry
Division soldiers come just two weeks after a soldier in the First Armored
Division was charged with murder in the shooting death of an Iraqi civilian in
May after a high-speed chase in Kufa, in south-central Iraq.

The Army
has now opened investigations into the deaths of at least 40 Iraqi detainees,
indicating a widening pattern of prisoner abuse, including deaths and assault,
beyond the confines of the Abu Ghraib prison outside of Baghdad.

With
the transfer of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government this week, the
charges also raise new questions about the legal authority over American
soldiers who are accused of crimes against Iraqis. Despite an agreement to
consult on military matters, Iraq and the United States lack a formal accord
governing the status of foreign forces and are relying on a directive issued by
the American occupation authorities covering several important matters.

According to Army officials here, the Fourth Division soldiers were part of a
patrol that detained two Iraqi men for a late-night curfew violation on Jan. 3,
then ordered them to jump the bridge. One man died, but the other swam
ashore.

First Lt. Jack M. Saville and Sgt. First Class Tracey E.
Perkins were charged with manslaughter, assault, conspiracy, false statements
and obstruction of justice. Sgt. Reggie Martinez was charged with
manslaughter. Spec. Terry Bowman was charged with assault. Sergeant Martinez
and Specialist Bowman were also charged with making a false official
statement.

The four soldiers are from the Third Brigade of the Fourth
Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. The charges were first reported by The
Denver Post.

Among various assignments, the 5,000-member brigade
conducted scouting and security missions in and around the Sunni triangle region
north of Baghdad.